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i LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. | 



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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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Groton, Massachusetts, 



BY 



FRANCIS MARION BOUTWELL, 



GROTOX 

1883. 



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OLD HOMESTEADS OF (IIIOTON. 



Ih a carol'iil exainiiKitioa ol" the Jiidiaii Roll which has 
recently been published uiKlei- the direction of Dr. Samuel 
A. Green, and alx) tVoin a study ol" the lir^t vohinie of the 
Proi)rietor.s' Records, togetlicr with ni\' [jcrsonal knowledge 
of the town, I have found what I helicve to he the home 
estates of quite a larire number of the men living in town 
within the lirst twenty-live years after its settlement, most 
of w hom were original proprietors. The part of the Indian 
Koll fioni which I derived the most information is that 
relating to the laying out of the highways. This portion 
of the record is <|uite clear. 

The home estates of a few men living in tow n during the 
first half of the last century I have learned, for the most 
j)art, through Miss Klizaheth Farnsworth. She obtained 
the information from her grandmother Farnsworth. who was 
born at (irotoii in 17]<I, imd li\cd in (own mo>t of her life. 

-My purjjose in giving the names by which iii.uiy of the 
places were known in my l»oyhood, as well as the names of 
the present owners and occupants, is to gi\e a clear idea to 
all. of ihc places designated. 

Timothy Allen was the sexton of the church during nearly, 
if not throughout, the entire period of the existence of the 
lirst meeting-iiouse, which ^lood prr»bal»ly up<»ii the high 
land between my laliier"^ liaiii- ;uid the ro.nl now c.dled 
Hollis streiM. Ml-. Allen"- lioii>e was probaldy situated 
.several ro<l> liaeU from llie road lea«ling from the present 
Ilollis .stre«'l to .Martin'^ Fond, on the south side of the load 



and about opposite to the house now occupied by Thomas 
Branham. 

Ellis Barron seems to have lived on the present Boston 
road, then known as the "Bay Highway." His house was 
situated a little below what was known in my boyhood as the 
Blodgett place, but on the west side of the road, about one 
half mile north of Ridge Hill Tavern. His house lot bordered 
both on the Boston road, and on the road that turns off to 
the south and runs towards the Fletcher stone quarry. 

James Blood lived probably a few rods off of the road 
which leads from the four corners at "Nod" in the river 
valley to Reedy Meadow. Mr. George D. Brigham has 
told me that in the woods a little to the north of the road 
he once found an old cellar, and I am inclined to believe 
that on that spot stood Mr. Blood's house. The record con- 
veys the impression that in early times the line of this road, 
for at least a part of the way, was somewhat farther north 
than it is now ; so it is probable that Mr. Blood's house was 
situated upon the line of the road as it then existed. 

Joseph Blood lived on the farm now owned by Edward 
Gary, on Farmers' Row, which road then formed a portion 
of the Lancaster Highway, so called. 

Nathaniel Blood probal^ly lived at the northern base of 
Gibbet Hill, a few rods northwest of where Andrew Spauld- 
ino-'s farm barn now stands. Mr. Blood's house was situated 
on a road long since gone and forgotten. This road left 
the present Lowell road near the house of Nathaniel Law- 
rence (now Joseph F. Hall's place), and folloAved along the 
western base of Gibbet Hill, and joined the highway, now 
known as Martin's Pond road, at a point near where the 
latter road crosses James's Brook. 

Richard Blood's home was on the farm owned and occu- 
pied by the late Captain William Shattuck, situated on the 



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road loadiiii: troiii the prf-^cnl Ilollis siicci al the Xorth 
Coiniuon to the rivi-r vallry. Tlic j)Iac(' is ikiw mKH-ciipicd. 

Nicholas C'atly, for wlioiii the liitlc pond at llic -outli I'lid 
of the ^■illalx<' \v:i> named, lived on ihc lann foi* so many 
years owned and carried on hy tlie late Captain Pliineas G. 
Preseott. The pond was j)rol)al)ly owikm] l>y Mr. Cady, as 
it has since and does now form a i)art of the estate, 

Benjamin Crisp lived on the farm known many years ago 
as the Levi Stone phicc, but in later years termed the John 
McGilson place. Since Mr. McUilson moved away it has 
been occupied by John E. Hills, Mrs. Mary A. Mason, and 
others. 

Samuel Davis lived in the part of the town recently 
known as the "Community." Ilis house was on the north 
side of the community road, then a part of the Lancaster 
Highway, a few rods east of the corner where the road 
turns near the Pollard plac(>. Mr. Davis was shot by an 
Indian while standing in his open door. 

The Benjamin Moors place, now owned by Nathan F. 
Culver, and situated on the old road to Aver, was the home 
of William Klluee. It is possible that this man's name may 
have been EUvee, though the former is the spelling found in 
the record. 

Matthias Farnsworth li\t'd on the farm formerly owned by 
Ephraim Sawtell and now (leeiijiied by Henry M. (laut. 

The house lot of .James Fiske was situatecl on the present 
Main street, probably near where stands the house oiue 
owned by Nathaniel 1'. Smith, in later years by (ieorge W . 
Bancroft, and now owned i»y .bthn I!, llodgman. 

Joseph Gilson lived on the f;irm wliirh we know as the 
Ezekiel Xeedham place, now owne(l liy Charles A. Murphy. 
After a carefid examination of the Proprietors' Records I 
am conlident that the ori-'inal estate included all the land 



west of the present Hollis street which now lies common. 
The present Champney place also formed a part of Mr. 
Gilson's home estate. 

William Green lived near where Lawrence Academy is 
now situated. His home estate was on both sides of the 
main street, and extended in a northerly direction to a line 
with the present "Meadow Road." This road was built dur- 
ing Mr. Green's time, down to the meadow, but not across, 
for the purpose of teaming hay off of Broad Meadow. As 
the inhabitants were obliged to depend upon the low lands 
for hay for their cattle, ready access to these lands was of 
course important to them. At about the same time the 
west end of the Meadow Road, and the road that leaves the 
road to Ayer (then called the Mill Highway), near the house 
now owned by John McGilson, were also built as far as the 
meadow, for the same purpose. 

Rev. Gershom Hobart lived near where the Baptist meet- 
ing-house stands. He was settled in Groton as the minister, 
upon the return of the inhabitants after the burning of the 
town. "All the common land near where the old meeting- 
house stood " (so reads the record) was granted to him as a 
part of his farm. This, no doubt, included the lot upon 
which my father's barns stand, and between these buildings 
and Hollis street. His farm also included all the land upon 
the northwest side of the present School street, and the west 
side of Hollis street to near the line which now divides the 
land of Joseph B. Raddin and the Champney estate. Mr. 
Hobart, it is thought, left town about the year 1705, but 
afterwards returned, and died in Groton. He originally 
owned a part of the present old burying-ground, which he 
sold to the town for the purpose to which it has ever since 
been devoted. 
—^Richard Holclen lived probably near where the house 



liitoly occiipicil liy rldliii II. lii-liop now >l;iii(l>. on tin- olil 
road to Aver. 

"William LaUiii iivctl on the ^^^•llk«'^ ])lac<', so (•.illcil, ncur 
\hv ct'iiictrrv, now owned l>y dolm \l. Sonlliw ick. His 
brother .John lived near the foiir eorneiv^ at " Nod," hcjow- 
tlie soapstone (|nany, in the rivtT valley, a >hoit di>tanee 
l)ol()\v (he honse where Miehacd Condon now lives. Il is 
possible that in l<i:i|, ,it the time the Loni;ley family wero 
killetl, W'illi.im"^ hiinscwjis fortitied. The i-eeords >how him 
to have Iteen an otHeor in the local military ser\iee. Those 
two men weic step-sons of A\'illiam Martin. 

Tho farm now owned hy Cahin Corey, and known as the 
Shejiley jijaee, was the home ol" dose](li Lawrence, and later 
one Slu'i)k'y lived upon the --ame place. Mr. Shepley 
was livinir there in liJUl, and was killed hy the Indians in 
.Inly of that year, at the time of the LonL'"ley mass:iero. It 
sei'Uis proliahle from the I'ecoi'd, that William Lakin"> lioU'>e 
was attaeked at that time, l»iit the as>anlt was sui-cessfidly 
repelled. 

Xathaniel Lawrence oriLdnally lived on the place now- 
owned liy d(i>i'pli l'\ Hall, liiit ■-nli--e(|Uent ly hoiiLiht and li\cd 
upon the t'aini at jiresent owned \>y W illiam Peahody. 

I'deir Lawrence lived on the r»o>ton road, and ])r<»l)al»ly 
on the farm now owne»l hy Samuel 1>. Marshall ;md )ir<'- 
viou>ly owne<| hy Win>low 1'. Niidd. 

William Lon^dey, and his father William hdore him, li\C(l 
on the farm now owne(l l»y Zachariah i'itch. Tin' nienmrial 
stone ree<!ntly <'reeted marks the -pot wlier*' their home was 
situateiL 

W illi;im M.irtin, >omelime-. <;il|rd l»y hi^ neiifldiors (Jood- 
nian Mailin, li\e<| n|ion land now owned l»y niy lather, and 
known a> the Shatlnck plaie. Mr. Martin"- hoir-e >eem- to 
have .stood at the soutlierL li:i'.e ol' tin* second .and hi'dn'sl 



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of the three "Chestnut Hills." His house probably faced 
the pond named for him, and stood near where now are some 
of the remains of an old house taken down a few years ago. 
The spot is on the farm road, about one half mile from the 
present Martin's Pond road, but there is now nothing left to 
show exactly the situation of the house. It is probable that 
William Lakin's farm (the Walker place) was conveyed to 
him by his step-father. I am inclined to the opinion that 
the fence which now divides my father's farm and John R. 
Southwick's is on the same line that separated the house lots 
of Goodman Martin and William Lakin in olden time. 

It is probable that Mr. Martin reached his house cither by 
passing through his son's land, or by leaving the road near 
where the house of Alvin C. L. Sawyer now stands, for the 
records show that in those times there was too much water 
in what we now know as Hog Swamp to admit of building 
a road there ; and Martin owned nearly all the land border- 
ing on the north side of Martin's Pond road, from his house 
to HoUis street. 

John Nutting lived near the site of the house of the Hon. 
Daniel Needham. It is probable that some part of the land 
now occupied by Main street formed a part of Mr. Nut- 
ting's house lot, as this street from the corner at the town 
pump to the corner of Elm street, near the Baptist meeting- 
house, was not built until the eai-ly part of this century. 
Prior to that time the present Hollis street was the main 
highway, and Mr. Nutting's house no doubt faced that 
street. 

Jacob Onge lived on the Reuben Torrey place, now 
owned and occupied by Parker Fletcher. 

John Page lived on the west side of Farmers' Row, prob- 
ablj' nearly opposite to the present location of the house now 
owned by the heirs of the late Edmund Blood. 



It i> pntlciMf lliMt tin.' t';iriiis of .lolm \';i>_r^> and Joseph 
Hlootl c>ri»j;iii;illy (•«iini)rise(l all the land hordering on the 
west .side dT Farmers' IJow, from the corner just south of 
the present Eilinund lilood hon>t! to the corner ol" l\uniers' 
Kow and the road leading to Scjuannaeook. The latter road 
uas liuill at an early <lay, as far as the river. 

Captain James Parker Jived on the Dr. Amos !>. I>ancroft 
place, wlicic Captain Asa S. Lawrence now lives. His 
liome estate occupied both sides of tlie present Main street, 
tiie northern l)Oundary being James's Brook, ])robably named 
for him, and his southerly line was near, if not exactly 
nixrn, the line wliiili now sei)arates the land of Cieorge D. 
r)rigliam fioni the High School lot and the land of Andrew 
Kol)liins, known as the Loring estate. The southerly line 
upon the east side of the road was no doubt near the present 
line which separates the Dr. Joshua Green estate from the 
Brick Store lot. 

Captain Parker owned a large part of II:df-Moon Meadow, 
and was the owner of a good deal of real estate in dillerent 
j)arts of the town. He Avas for many years the richest, and 
in all matters of a secular character, the leading man in town. 

Joseph Parker probably li\<'d on the farm known as the 
James Farnsworth place, >ub>c(juently occupied l>y ( 'harles 
H. Waters and I>aiah M. .Man>ui', respeeti\ cly , ami is now 
the propeity of Prcsc<»tt Lawrence. 

Daniel I'earce seems to ha\e lived on llic road leading 
from Ikidge Hill Tavern to the ."^^andy Pond station on the 
.Stony Pirook Ivailioad. He, nodoul)t, lived upon the present 
Pcarec place. This is the oidy instance of which I have 
knowledge wheic a place i- now (ncnjHcd ity :i person of the 
Hiime name as the original proprietor. W hether the jjrest-nt 
owner of this faiin i.<j a descendant of tin; original owner. 1 
do not kn(Mv. 



8 



Jonas Prescott came to Groton al)ont the time of the re- 
turn of the inhabitants after the destruction of the town by 
the Indians. He came from Lancaster, where his father, 
John Prescott, resided. He lived on the Stuart J. Park 
place. His house probably stood on the knoll nearly oppo- 
site to the house of Stephen J. Woods. He was a blacksmith, 
and his shop seems to have been a little below his house, 
near the brook. The initials upon the stone which, until a 
few years ago, remained in the wall at the side of the road 
between the house of the late John G. Park and that of 
Stuart J. Park, showed that Jonas Prescott first laid the 
wall in 1680, soon after he came to Groton. This is prob- 
ably the oldest structure of any kind in town. Though it is 
known to have been relaid twice, yet no doubt some, if not 
many, of the stones now there were first placed by Jonas 
Prescott. 

Alexander Rouse lived on the Samuel Wheeler place, now 
occupied by Amos P. Carlton. 

Richard Sawtell, the first town clerk, lived upon the Eber 
Woods estate on the road to Ayer, now owned by John 
McGilson. 

Thomas Smith lived on the George W. Bancroft farm, 
now occupied by Frank F. Woods. 

Thomas Tarbell, senior, lived probably on the main street, 
and near where stands the house formerly owned and occu- 
pied by the late Caleb Butler. 

Thoma*; Tarbell, junior, lived upon the now quite famous 
Lawrence farm on Farmers' Row. 

Joshua Whitney seems to have lived upon the farm now 
known as the Joshua Eaton place, and at present owned by 
Andrew Robbins. The record designates this as his "first 
house," and indicates that he subsequently lived in some 



9 



other localilv. whiili l;ilt<T j)l;i(f I have Ixtii iiiialtlc fo 
ascortain. 

Iu'\ . Samuel Willard lived near where thf lii;.di-sih(ni| 
h()ii>e stands. lie (twiied the Iaii<l (Ml hoth >i<h's of ilic 
main street tVoin the i)re.sent. southerly hues of (icoiL:!' 1'. 
IJriirhaiu and Dr. Samuel A. Green to the Meadow Koad on 
the west side, and on the east side of the main street to near 
the line which now separates IJie lionse lot of ("harlcv IJ. 
Waters and the InLrhway which passes by the north side of 
the Unitarian meetin<r-house. That portion of the western 
side of the hill upon which the old nu-etinir-honse stan<ls, 
which is now oceupied hy the road last mentioned, the 
meet inii-honse and the connnon, was oriirinally the pi-opcrfv 
of U'illiam Green. 

Mr. \Villard j)reaehed in the lirst meeting-house dnriuir 
the entire ten years of its existence, from KJlKl until it was 
destroyed l>y Indians on the l.'Jth of ATarch, 1<I7»!. Mi-. 
Willai'd did not return to (irotoii to live after the desti'uc- 
tion of the town. He hapti/ed Benjamin Franklin in the 
Old South meeting-iiouse at l>oston, where he was the 
minister at the lime of j-'ranUlin'- liirtli. 

Samuel Woods seeais to havf lived on the pic^ml Main 
street, and on the i)laee now owneil l»y the estate of ihe late 
Stephen Stickney. and occupied l»y Dr. Mile> SpaiihliiiL''. 

Or the men liviiiL"" in tow n limine: the liivxt half of the la-t 
century, were lienjamin Procoll, ^oii of donas, and the 
father of Col. William I'rescoll. lie li\eil upon the estate 
of his father, hut a little fuilher up the hill. The depressi«)n 
caused hy the x-tlliiiL'' of the i/ioiind afler the cellar \v;i- 
tille(| ix now \i>ilile in the old garden -.jxil ol" Stuart ,1. 
I'ai'k's day, Ju^l ^ouf li <if tin- hou-c ot" W'illard II. ( iile>. near 
th(* road. 

I have learned from .Mi-> I-'ai n-w i>ith the jilace- ot' ic^i- 



10 



dence of four of the clano-hters of Jonas Prescott. One of 
these, the wife of (probably James) Parker of the Captain 
Parker family, perhaps a son, lived npon the site of Eliel 
Shumway's house. Another, Elizabeth, married Eleazer, a 
son of William Green. They lived in the house whii-h has 
for many years been occupied by Luther G. Osborn. This is 
probably the oldest building in town, and it is likely that it 
Avas built by Eleazer Greep, or by his father for him, and 
upon a part of his father's estate. Another sister was the 
wife of John Longlej', who was son of William, and was 
captured at the time when his parents and five brothers and 
sisters were killed by Indians, but he afterwards escaped. 
They lived on the Stephen Kendall farm, now owned by 
Jackson N. Potter. Another, the wife of Benjamin Farns- 
worth, lived on the east side of the same road upon which 
the Stephen Kendall place is situated, and nearly opposite 
the house formerly occupied by the late William Kilbourn. 
Here, also, in the field, a short distance back from the road, 
can be seen the depression of the earth which followed the 
filling of the cellar. Miss Farnsworth says that she was 
once in the house when a child, but the building was taken 
down many years ago. She also says she has been told 
that still another of the Prescott sisters lived down back of 
the present Unitarian meeting-house, but as to the exact 
location of the house she is not informed. It is probable 
that this may have been Mrs. Samuel Parker. 

Joseph Page lived on the George Farnsworth place on 
Farmers' Row, now occupied by Cliftbrd R. Weld. 

William Tarbell, familiarly called by his neighbors Will 
Tarbell, lived on Farmers' linw, upon the farm now owned 
by the heirs of the late Osgood Putnam. He was a son of 
Thomas Tarl)ell, junior, and grandfather of the late Colonel 
Abel and Asa Tarbell of Squannacook. 



11 



Those men wvvo of the loiiiidcis of our lm-mikI old town. 
()f the liMi'dsliips, privations and danir«M> to wliidi tlicv and 
tlu'ir laiuilios woiv snl>joct('<l we can at llii> day have no 
conception; luit what they did is indciMl of vahic, as well 
as of interest, to us all. And what did iht-y doV What is 
foinuling? The fact is simply that on each snccecMliiiir day 
they did as host they could the work of that day. The LTi'cat 
majority of the irood people of the present day in Groton, 
as in all wdl-ordered eoiunuinities. are doinir likewise. AVho 
can tell what foundations we may even now l)e lavinir, oi- 
what manner of structure may he built thereon? 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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